I raise a brow. “Fishing for compliments, hellfire?”
She rolls her eyes and keeps walking, knowing I’ll never drop a chance to get under her skin.
I lean into her, our shoulders brushing, and feel her breath hitch before I hear it. I squeeze her hand once and murmur, “You look ethereal, baby. Corsets were made for you.”
I straighten and pull Hazel to a stop, turning her to face me. “If I could, I’d spend the whole night just looking at you.”
Her eyes widen, lips parting, but I don’t give her time to recover before I guide us toward the portal.
12. Chaos runs in our blood
Dean
Atowering tree rises before us, its thick branches twisting into a magnificent doorway. At the center of its hollow trunk, a vivid purple glow ripples with ancient magic that allows us to travel between realms.
Every portal has its own unique beauty, but this one steals my breath. Rooted deep in the forest, it feels both natural and impossibly out of place.
With Hazel’s hand in mine, I step through. The world around me blurs into flashing lights, and when we reach the end, the stunning castle Diablo Towers comes into view.
The dark-bricked castle is impossible to look away from. Above it, a crimson sky fractures with violet lightning, breathing life into the night in a way no magic ever could. There’s a reason Hell is one of my favorite realms.
The first Lucifer poured his Divine magic and resilience to build this realm from scratch after he and his brothers were cast out of Heaven for accepting the Fates’ gift of soulmates.
The Heaven-bound Archangels thought they were getting rid of weak-willed traitors for deviating from their mission and choosing soulmates to live a life only meant for mortals, but in reality, their rigid rules only drove out the ones with a heart right out of the pearly gates.
Heaven was not the same after that.
The irony was that God never agreed to the banishment. He raked Archangel Michael over the coals for it, but even he knew the two sides couldn’t exist in the same realm anymore.
So he watched Heaven split in two. For the greater good.
Some still believe God abandoned Lucifer for choosing what was never his to claim, but the truth is far from it. It broke something in the Almighty, All-powerful being to watch his first son leave.
At the edge of the cliff, ready to make the final ascent, I glance at Hazel. She’s glaring at Diamond until he lowers his head and nuzzles her stomach in apology.
Hazel sighs, her icy glare dropping before she drops my hand to mount Diamond. The traitor kicks his back leg, taunting me.
When Hazel pats his head, he launches forward. The fire lapping at his legs, tail, and mane burns brighter as he climbs invisible steps in the air toward the Diablo towers. Anxo and Nevaeh are right beside them on the Conquer horse.
Khatri follows on his horse, holding August tight so the kid doesn’t wiggle himself off mid-flight.
I wait until they’re reached safely before letting my shadows teleport me to Hazel’s side.
The guards startle when I materialize before them out of thin air, but recover quickly, bowing us inside.
We climb the polished gold steps, but an older knight steps in our path.
“Apologies for the interruption, ladies and gentlemen, but all weapons must be surrendered before entry. The King’s orders.”
Anxo rolls his eyes when Nevaeh snorts. Everyone knows we can summon our weapons at will, so this rule doesn’t exactly protect anyone, but it’s non-negotiable, and we’re not in the mood to argue.
Anxo and I conjure our weapons and drop them onto the table at the side. The knight barely blinks. He knows they’ll disappear within ten minutes anyway.
Khatri places his sword and two daggers down like the obedient soldier he is. The knight nods as Nevaeh walks past without submitting anything, wiggling her fingers at him with a cheeky grin.
He must be damn good at his job to know my daughter doesn’t carry a weapon, considering it’s not common knowledge.
I step away from the pile, ready to head inside, when the knight clears his throat, eyes fixed on Hazel.
